American actor, dancer, and singer Darren Ritchie (b. Florida, 1977) originated the role of Jonathan Harker in the 2004 Broadway production of Don Black, Christopher Hampton, and Frank Wildhorn’s Dracula, the Musical. In 2009 Ritchie created the part of the White Knight/Jack in Wildhorn’s Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure in its world premiere production in Tampa, Florida, and reprised the role on Broadway when the musical opened in April 2011. Ritchie has numerous credits in films and television shows as well, and in regional theatre.
Ritchie earned a BFA at Carnegie Mellon University in 1999 and later studied at the Larry Moss Studio in Santa Monica, CA. He began his professional career on the soaps, Guiding Light and Days of Our Lives, then on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002). He made his Broadway debut as Babet in Les Misérables, understudying Enjolras at the same time. In 2001 he played Blake Barton in the revival of Bells Are Ringing, then joined the cast of Throughly Modern Millie, understudying Jimmy Smith. He understudied the role of Paul Claudel in the world premiere of Wildhorn’s Camille Claudel at the Goodspeed Opera, Norma Terris Theatre (2003), then returned to Broadway briefly to play five characters in Little Shop of Horrors before stepping into the role of Jonathan Harker in the original cast of Dracula, the Musical in La Jolla and New York.
In 2006 Ritchie starred in the CBS television pilot of Stroller Wars, and the following year appeared in five episodes of the ½-Hour News Hour series on Fox.
A many-faceted athlete, Ritchie created the title role in the premiere of Ace at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 2007. He has toured nationally with Fame the Musical and Little Shop of Horrors, and participated in many original workshops (one of which was Wonderland). He has also done television commercials, voiceovers, and vocal recordings.
For his performance as Jerry in The Full Monty at Boston’s North Shore in 2005, Ritchie was a recipient of an Independent Reviewers of New England Award for Best Ensemble.
Darren Ritchie is married to actress, singer, and former pageant contestant Joy Suprano.
– LEC
